Bedstead-fastening



UNITED sainrunsgnrnnr OFFICE.

ELISHA E. EV ERITT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BEDSTEAD-FASTENING.

Specicaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,359, dated March 29,1859; Reissued May 26, 1861, No. 1,160.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIsHA E. EVERITT, of the city of Philadelphia, inthe State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPlugFastenings for Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 represents a topview of the i1nproved fastening, applied-the post and rail of thebedstead being in section; Fig. 2 a side view of Fig. lw-part of thefastening being in section; and Figs. 3 and 4, outer end views of thetwo parts of the fastening-the post and rail being separated.

Like letters indicate the same parts in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in a peculiar manner of constructingthe inclines of the dovetail, or coupling part, of the said fastening,and in making both the rail and post parts of the said fastening in theplug 7 form, with fins attached thereto, as hereinafter described, sothat each part can be applied more accurately, either to the post orrail, by simply driving it into an auger hole adapted in size for thepurpose, whereby I am enabled to dispense with the plate and screwsheretofore required as one part of a plug fastening, and to produce acheaper, more easily applied, steady and effective fastening forbedsteads.

In the drawings, A and A are the two distinct parts of the fastening; B,the post, and C, the rail of the bedstead. Both the parts (A and A) areof iron, and are cast with a prolongated stem, CZ, having on both itsupper and under surface a tapering pin, e, for keeping it from turningin driving it into the wood, and along each of its two sides adepression 7, which leaves a shoulder, g, at each'end, into whichdepression is fitted a piece of wood, L, so that it shall fill the saiddepression-the whole together forming a cylindrical or slightly taperingplug with two fins, and which may be driven tightly and accurately intoan auger hole bored either in the end of the rail or side of the postintended for a bedstead, and held firmly by means of the fins (e, e),and glue applied to the surface of the pieces (it, Zu) before the plugsare driven in; but

the outer ends of these two plugs are formed differentlythe one (A)being enlarged in diameter so as to admit of having cast within it anopen dovetail mortise, z', with curved, inclined planes, Za and c, andalso adapted for receiving the dovet-ail tenon, Z (with itscorrespondingly curved inclined planes, m and m) which are cast on theouter end of the other plug (A). The planes on each plug (A and A) arecurved (transversely) as seen at k and m and Zr: and m, Fig. 1, andadapted to each other, respectively, so that when the said plugs arerespectively secured in the post and rail of the bed-stead with themortised end of the one (A) flush with the face of the post or rail andthe tenon (Z) on the outer end of the other (A) projecting (as shown)from the piece into which it is secured the planes (m, m and 10 c) ofthe two plugs, when connected, slide in contact and so draw the rail andpost together, preventing by their curved form any vibration or twistingof the rail in the post, and rmly securing them together in closecontact, as seen in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of allowing the admission of the tenon (Z) to themortise a shallow mortise, a, is made in the containing piece (B) at theflush end of the plug (A), as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and this mortisebecomes covered by the piece containing the tenon plug (A) where thepost and rail of the bedstead are connected as described-thus leaving noharbor for vermin.

In the operation of this fastening it is manifest that the plugs (A andA) cannot become loose if the pieces, /L-z, are well coated with glue ontheir outsides before driving them into the post and rail even if thetimber out of which the latter are made should not have been properlyseasoned-because, in subsequently drying, it would shrink more tightlyaround the plugs, and the two dovetail parts with their respectiveinclined planes being constructed as described and arranged so that thetenon (Z) shall come in contact only with the curved sides and c) of themortise by its curved sides (m and m), and also s0 lthat when the onepart (C) of the bedstead is brought up, by the drawing effect or actionof the planes, into close Contact with the other part (B) the tenon (Z)shall not have entirely reached the bottom of the mortise (z')-thatthere will be a constant drawing of the one piece (C) directly towardthe other (B), and consequently a perfectly tight and close joint willalways be maintained between them from the gravitation of the rail. Y

I am aware that a plug without the ns (eme), having a straight dovetailtenon on on its outer end, has before been secured in a bedstead rail bymeans of the glued pieces of wood (hlt), substantially as describedherein, and made to operate in combination with a straight dovetailmortise in a plate secured by wood screws to the post; but the plate ina short time becomes loose7 both y from use and the shrinking of thewood,

and consequently such a fastening is not durable and reliable, nor is iteasily applied properly. Therefore I do not claim a fastening consistingof a plug and plate in combination; but

Having fully described my invention and its mode of operation, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A plug fastening consisting of the two plug pieces (A and A),constructed as set forth and described; the same being applied andarranged in combination with the post and rail of a bedstead7 in themanner and for the purposes specified.

ELISHA E. EVERI'IT. Witnesses:

BENJ., MoRIsoN, MoRToN ROBERTS.

[FIRST PRINTED 1911.]

